


The Fae Forest

by Canadiantardis



Series: Whumptober 2020 [25]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Exhaustion, Fae & Fairies, Fae Morality | Patton Sanders, Fear, Gen, Human Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Making Fae Deals, One Shot, Running Away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27106132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canadiantardis/pseuds/Canadiantardis
Summary: “Demon!”“Devil spawn!”“Harbinger of destruction!”The words were hurled at Virgil as he ran for his life, the path ahead shrouded in deep, deep shadows.
Series: Whumptober 2020 [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1920886
Comments: 21
Kudos: 89





	The Fae Forest

**Author's Note:**

> Day 25: Disorientation  
> A friend helped suggest a character getting disoriented by a fae forest. I don't think I did much with actually getting disoriented, but I tried!  
> The song is a German translation of "Come Little Children" from Hocus Pocus! I was using [ this site](https://lyricstranslate.com/en/kommt-kleine-kinder-come-little-children.html) for the translation, so any grammar mistakes I will blame on it!

_“Demon!”_

_“Devil spawn!”_

_“Harbinger of destruction!”_

The words were hurled at Virgil as he ran for his life, the path ahead shrouded in deep, deep shadows. Light had faded an hour ago, with the only illumination coming from the mob actively searching for him, far far behind. Even as the light faded and he struggled to adjust his eyes to the night, Virgil could not stop. He had no idea if some were running without light, or if they had their mutts with his scent, or what.

So he ran. He ran until he could barely breathe, until he reached a river and waded through the ford, doing his best to ignore the absolutely freezing temperatures of the water, reaching halfway up his thighs. He ran further still, until his vision was tunnelling and he couldn’t even gasp for air or feel his legs or feel anything as he fell in the middle of the forest. He had been barely able to catch himself to not bash his head against the root-infested earth, but that didn’t stop him from falling unconscious.

* * *

The sound of a twig snapping brought Virgil back to consciousness. He opened his eyes wide and pushed his exhausted body up, or as much as he could. He sat up and looked around, breathing quickly as he tried to figure out how far away it was and if it was an animal of the forest or a human…

…however, looking around caused him to realize he was probably in bigger trouble than being found by a human. Trees unnaturally bent at sharp angles, gnarled looking branches that looked too much like long, inhuman fingers ready to grab any who came within reach, were all that surrounded him. The leaves all around were unnatural dark shades of green and blue, bizarrely shaped and managing to block out most of the morning light, leaving the forest floor as dark as twilight.

While Virgil had never been in one himself, he, along with any child in town, grew up with tales of the nearby faerie forest.

_Great._

Virgil scrambled to his feet, ignoring the ache and pull of his tired leg muscles and took stumbling steps forward. He had no idea where he came from, or where the exit of the forest was, or just how deep he was in shit. All he knew was that the forest made it extremely nigh-impossible to leave, disorienting anyone who trespassed, and that the deeper one was in the fae forest, the less likely they would ever be seen by the outside world ever again.

He took things slow, trying to gain his bearings but absolutely _nothing_ looked familiar. Any tracks he could have made the night before were long gone. In fact, when he looked down and back, he found he made no tracks at all, even as he stood still and it _looked_ like he would leave an imprint on the ground.

_Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t panic,_ Virgil repeated in his head as he tried to figure out what he could do. He couldn’t exactly wait for a native of the forest to find him, since the chances of him living through the encounter were slim-to-none. Humans were hated by the fae, and not without good reason, he had learned first-hand. They destroyed the land and trees and territories to build villages and towns and expand, never replanting new trees, and often hunting for sport rather than to sustain the village or family. They hated anything that wasn’t the same as them, something Virgil knew intimately well, and they feared what they didn’t understand. What humans feared, they often tried to destroy.

And now he was in the middle of a forest, surrounded by creatures - most likely - who would rather kill him than help him.

Another twig snapped, off to his right, and before he could think, Virgil bolted, ignoring his fatigued body’s pleas to rest.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been running before he heard the singing. Soft, slow, and in a tongue Virgil had never heard before.

_“Kommt kleine Kinder, ich nehm' euch mit mir…”_

Virgil felt his legs slow, and he looked around for the voice. It sounded low, almost masculine, but he couldn’t be certain. He had never heard a fae before, much less know if they had a sense of masculine or feminine that his town was very invested in.

Before he even realized, Virgil found himself following the singing, his legs no longer feeling heavy or exhausted and his body no longer taut as a bowstring. He blinked slowly, and breathed as if he were in dreams. A small part of him tried to warn him about something, but the song was so _soothing._

_“Fort in ein Land voller Zauber…”_

The singing was much closer, and Virgil saw a small clearing, a break from all the forest. A figure stood in the clearing, looking away from the direction Virgil would eventually enter, and they were wearing a full-body cloak, their hood pulled up. In the early afternoon light - Virgil realized he must not have been running for very long - he saw it was a pale, almost faded, blue colour, matching the blue sky above.

_“Kommt kleine Kinder, es ist Zeit zum spiel'n…”_ As Virgil approached the clearing and the figure, he saw how they swayed slightly as they sang, and until he reached the edge of the clearing, Virgil thought maybe the figure had not noticed him at all.

However, just as the figure sang another line, they turned their head to lock eyes directly with him, and Virgil realized what that small part of him was trying to warn him about.

_“In meinem magischen Garten hier.”_

Impossibly bright eyes stared out from the hood of the cloak, and inhuman elegant features stood out under the deep shadows cast by the hood. A thin, long face, a round nose, sharp cheekbones, and a cluster of oddly coloured freckles that looked like glasses if someone connected every freckle. Over the forehead, Virgil just barely saw pale curly hair.

The fae smiled, and the sight of much thinner than human teeth caused Virgil to shiver, unable to it hold back. He wasn’t sure if it was a malicious expression, or one of genuine amusement, and at that point, he doubted he would ever know.

He knew he had to run, run before the fae caught him and did whatever they did with caught humans in the forest. _Maybe eat him? Keep him as a slave or some kind of pet? Torture him?_ There could be any countless number of things that could happen to him if he didn’t move, but the eyes kept him rooted in place.

“I was wondering what had snuck into my home,” the fae said, lifting a hand to crook a finger. “Come closer, let me see you in the light.”

Virgil _really_ didn’t want to listen, but found himself stepping further into the clearing until he was a couple feet out of reach of the fae, grabbing his arm and hunching inward under the unblinking gaze.

The smile still remained when Virgil stopped walking, and beside the sharper teeth, the fae wasn’t actually too sinister-looking.

“How did you come into my forest?” The fae asked, keeping his gaze firmly locked with Virgil’s as he stepped closer to the human, and it was then that Virgil realized how tall the fae was, and Virgil had been one of the tallest in the town. “It is not often a human wanders in.”

Virgil opened his mouth, but found himself unable to get the words out. He tried many times, but every time found himself unable.

The fae lost the smile, a frown slowly taking its place. “Speak, human,” he ordered.

“R-running. Away.” Virgil fought to get the words out, balling his hands into fists. “Had to. Run away.”

“From what?” At least the frown was gone as well, leaving behind a neutral expression.

“Mob.”

The fae hummed, and stepped closer until he stood directly in front of Virgil. He gently cupped his chin and lifted his head to look up, catching his eyes easily, like a spiderweb catching a fly.

“That is saddening to hear, human. You did not come here intentionally, then, I take it?”

Rather than fighting with his voice, Virgil nodded quickly. He was honestly surprised he was still alive. From the stories he had heard, the normal fae were terrifying and unpredictable in their treatment of humans, but there had been a clear agreement that the ‘owner of the forest’ was remorseless, evil, sadistic, and a cold-blooded killer.

The fae hummed again. “Then I suppose this is your lucky day,” he said, and the little part of Virgil that had been trying to warn him since he woke up in the forest shrunk, defeated. “Give me your name, and I will ensure you never have to worry about any mobs or running away, ever again.”

Virgil worked his jaw, thinking desperately. He knew if he gave his name, he’d be as good as dead, or a slave until his dying breath. He really didn’t want that, not at all.

“You, you first,” he blurted loudly, heating up when the fae looked surprised and confused by the outburst, and Virgil lowered his voice immediately. “You tell me your name, and I’ll, I’ll tell you.”

There was a clear expression of amusement on the fae’s face as he considered the proposition before answering. “Okay, I will allow that,” finally, since the fae turned to face him, he stepped back and went down into a flourishing bow. “The name you may know me as is… Morality. The exact reasons for that are irrelevant, but that is the name you may know. And yours, human?”

“The name you may know me as is V,” Virgil said, carefully picking his words as best he could and thankful when he didn’t stutter or stumble over his words. “I cannot give my full name if you plan on taking it.”

“Clever! Most humans would have never thought about how one phrases their conversations,” the fae smiled as he came up from his bow. Virgil wasn’t sure if it was a pleasant one or a warning. “Alright, _V,_ the offer still stands. You do not have malicious intentions in my forest, so I offer you safety from any that chases you.”

“Is there a catch?” Virgil asked before he could help himself, and had to backpedal when the fae, Morality, cocked his head in apparent confusion. “What would I have to do for you if I took this offer?”

Morality huffed, but he continued to smile. “Ah, a clever human! I have not met many of those,” Virgil wasn’t sure if he should be insulted at this or not, “Yes, there would be a few… conditions. Until I may have your true name, you will not be able to leave my home. You will help me and my kin in tending to the forest. None will harm you if you have my protection, although you will be unable to hide from them. If your intentions ever turn, I _will_ know.”

Virgil was silent as Morality spoke, trying to process everything, and the last point sounded more like a threat than anything else.

“Help how?”

Morality chuckled, and looked like he was shrugging under his cloak. “That is not entirely my domain, but my kin. While I rule the territory, even I must do my part to ensure the forest thrives and keeps away any with malicious intent from seeing the light of day again.” His words sent a chill down Virgil’s spine.

“Now,” Morality composed himself, and took off his hood for Virgil to see his face without the heavy shadows, and he was even more ethereal than before, with pale, impossibly pale blonde hair that curled just so that when the sun hit it created a halo effect, as if he were a freaking angel, and he had long, long pointed ears not even hidden by the curls, “Do you agree with this offer, V?”

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the [ LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:  
> Feedback
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 

> 
> This author replies to comments.
> 
> As you could have probably guessed, I had gotten very inspired by the fic (Un)Wanted by TheAsexualofSpades, and for a good portion of writing, I was worried about accidently copying the fic.


End file.
